Wintering ducks

Prince Edward Island is surrounded by ice this time of year so where do ducks find open water? My husband and I have pondered this question for the last two months. On our recent excursion to the north shore of the island, at Stanley Bridge, there was open water with a flock of ducks in attendance. It was great to see them after months without a duck sighting.

At the Bridge, a flock of Common Mergansers floated in New London Bay, which isn’t frozen near the bridge. 

The birds had their heads tucked under their wings when they weren’t feeding. 

The water looked like it was boiling near the flock. 

Could this be smelts which people seek in winter too? Smelt shacks are on the ice throughout the province now. 

The ducks may have found the best location for smelt fishing.

We were a long distance away but the ducks were aware of us nonetheless. As we walked the length of the marina, they moved further away. 

They tested the limits of my camera. 

The females with their gray bodies are distinguishable from the black and white bodied males. The back of the female’s head has a shaggy crest of feathers as well. It was impossible to see the true colour of their heads from this distance.

It felt good to be outside again, bird watching, one of my favourite hobbies.

Out of water

A beautiful sunny day drew us out of the house last week. We drove to Stanley Bridge on the north shore where a number of objects which are usually in the sea were prominent on shore. 

The marina at the Bridge has many floating docks where the boats tie up during the warmer seasons of the year. 

This day it was different.

Many of the floating docks were high and dry, stacked on top of each other in the parking lot. 

It is unusual to see what lies beneath a dock, but seaweed and mussels were visible on the pontoons.

On the opposite side of the parking lot, closer to the water, buoys of different sizes were ashore as well. They were brightly coloured and the largest ones dwarf the small shed nearby.

Next to the largest buoys, others of various sizes were piled together. All had mussels and seaweed below their water marks.

There isn’t much room for boat storage in this area but one boat was tucked in below the road. 

And as is often the case, lobster traps, some of the tools of the trade, were stored beside a shack. 

There was activity, as a few people worked in the fishing shacks. An open door gave a glimpse into the domain of the island fishers who are out of water too. However, spring is on the horizon!

Mussels

Mussel fishing boats are a common sight in the waters around Prince Edward Island. On a recent visit to Stanley Bridge, my husband and I stopped to look at the boats in the marina and many were mussel boats.

 

 

Some of the boats have names associated with the industry, such as  Mussel Madness 

 

or Pure Mussel.

 

We had a good look at the hoists on the decks. Unlike some fisheries which have a short season, mussel harvesting is a year round business, making the investment more cost effective.

 

A short video about the industry is here: http://peimussel.com/mussel-farming

Buoys, which are left over after the mussels are harvested, were on their way to storage. 

 

On the beach near New London lighthouse a week later, I recognized one of the mussel boats from Stanley Bridge as it returned from its day of harvesting. The A and R is a fast one!

 

We haven't had mussels in some time! Our favourite recipes involve curry, such as the recipe on this site.

http://www.peaqua.com/mussel_recipes.php

There are mussels on the menu next week!